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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — the underground
  6. root — the cause
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — in music
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. key — for a lock
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. tube — a container
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. fine — high quality
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com